If you’ve never had pickled onions before, they may seem like a strange ingredient.
They have long been used as a condiment or topping on sandwiches but their versatility goes far beyond that.
Pickles come from cucumbers which means that if you want to add them to your diet, it’s important to keep these things out of reach.
If you’re looking for something healthier than traditional sauerkraut then try pickled onion slices instead.
Why Are Pickled Onions White?
When we think about pickled food, the first thing that comes to mind is how sour it tastes.
Pickled foods tend to fall into one of two categories – sweet or sour.
The sweetness usually comes from sugar while the sourness comes from vinegar.
In most cases when you pair those two together you end up with some sort of brine.
The color of this particular pickle isn’t actually related to its flavor though.
You don’t need any fancy equipment to create a pickle.
A jar, a bowl, salt, water, and a vegetable (usually) will get the job done just fine.
White onions are a popular choice for pickling because they are easy to peel and slice cleanly.
This makes them perfect for adding to salads, burgers, tacos, and other dishes where you want the texture to remain intact.
What does “pickled” mean?
It might sound odd at first glance, but there is nothing inherently wrong with calling what happens during the process of making pickles “pickling.” Pickling is simply the act of submerging vegetables in a solution containing acid along with other spices and herbs.
There are many different types of pickles out there including dill pickles, garlic pickles, chow-chow, and even fermented kimchi.
Each has its own unique taste depending on what type of seasoning was added to the mixture.
A lot of people associate pickles with the word “spicy” so I wanted to clarify that pickles aren’t necessarily spicy – they are acidic.
How Do You Make Pickled Onions?
The first thing you need to know about making pickled onions is how to choose a good quality product.
Pickling onions should always use fresh, organic onions.
The reason why this particular type of onion is so popular is because it has a milder flavor than other types of onions such as red ones.
You can also buy them pre-cut at most grocery stores.
Next, you will need vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic powder.
All of these items are available at any supermarket.
Once you get everything together, put all of the ingredients into a jar with some oil and close up the lid tightly.
Make sure to shake the jar around every once in awhile until it gets nice and mixed up.
You should let the mixture sit overnight and then strain away the liquid when you open the jar the next day.
After straining, pour the contents back into the jar and store it in the fridge again.
When you take it out, give the jar another quick shake before using.
What Is The Best Recipe For Pickled Onions?
A good pickle is easy to prepare and doesn’t require much work.
Pickling vegetables is one way to preserve food without using chemicals.
The process involves soaking your vegetable in brine (a mixture of water and salt) over several days until it becomes soft enough to eat.
Once you’ve done this, all you need to do is refrigerate it so it stays fresh longer.
There are many different types of pickles available.
Some people prefer sweet varieties while others go with savory ones.
You could also choose to use dill, garlic, curry leaves, chilies, etc., depending on what you enjoy eating and how spicy you want your dish to be.
The following recipe uses white onions because they have a milder flavor compared to red onions.
However, there are actually two kinds of white onions – Spanish and Bermuda.
Spanish white onions are usually smaller than Bermuda onions and are more delicate in terms of taste.
On top of that, Spanish white onions don’t contain any sulfur compounds which makes them safer to consume.
You should always wash the onions thoroughly before preparing them.
If you don’t, you might end up with a bitter tasting pickle.
When chopping them, make sure not to cut too deep into the root.
That would cause the liquid inside to leak out and reduce its shelf life.
Here’s everything you need to know about making pickled white onions:
- Ingredients: White onions, vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorn, bay leaf, mustard seed, cloves, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, fennel seeds, ginger, black pepper (ground), chili flakes, cayenne pepper (optional)
- Method: Heat 1 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of salt in a pot. Add the whole spices mentioned above. Bring the water to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and cool slightly. Place the onions in the bowl of a blender along with 4 cups of water and blend at medium speed. Strain through cheesecloth and store in airtight containers.
This method takes around 20-30 minutes to complete.
To give it time to ferment properly, leave the jars covered in the fridge overnight.
After that, you just need to shake them every day to release any excess gas.
As soon as they start smelling fragrant, remove them from the refrigerator and serve immediately.
What Are The Benefits Of Pickled Onions?
There are many reasons why pickled onions are so great and here we will look at some of the most common ones.
These include their ability to add flavor and texture to dishes while also helping to prevent food poisoning by killing harmful bacteria.
They Add Flavor
Because they are pickled, there are several different types of flavors present.
Some people enjoy this because they taste sweet with hints of vinegar, while others prefer it to taste more savory.
Whatever type of pickled onions you choose, the fact remains that they will contribute significantly to the overall flavor of whatever dish you make using them.
They Are Healthy For You
One of the main health concerns when choosing foods is whether or not they contain preservatives.
Pickled onions are no exception and although they do contain salt, sugar and vinegar, they don’t use any additives such as artificial coloring agents or MSG.
This makes them much easier to digest and less likely to cause adverse reactions.
This doesn’t mean that pickled onions are completely free from calories though.
One large serving has around 130 calories and 5 grams of fat – both of which aren’t exactly ideal amounts.
Are Pickled Onions Healthy?
For most people, eating too many pickles will result in weight gain.
Pickled onions don’t contain enough calories to cause this problem so there won’t be any negative health effects if you eat them regularly.
However, even though pickled onions aren’t high in calories, they still contain some nutrients.
Some of the vitamins found in pickled onions include vitamin C and B-complex vitamins such as niacin and thiamine.
The vitamin C content in pickled onions isn’t very high but it’s not bad either.
A single serving contains about 1 gram.
The recommended daily intake for vitamin C is 60 milligrams per day, meaning that a person who eats two servings of pickled onions each day would be getting close to the amount required by the body.
B-vitamins also provide a lot of nutrition for just one small serving.
One slice has about 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance of niacin and half the recommended dose of thiamine.
Even with all those extra vitamins, pickled onions shouldn’t replace your regular meals so make sure you get plenty of other sources of food too.
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Pickled Onions?
When you eat pickled onions, there are two main types of nutrients that you will get.
The first is carbohydrates and the second is vitamins A and C.
Pickled onions contain very little fat and no cholesterol so they don’t contribute any significant amount of calories either.
The carbohydrate content includes sucrose, glucose, fructose, and starch while the vitamin content contains vitamin B6, vitamin C, and niacin.
These three nutrients together make up what’s known as the thiamine group.
Thiamine helps with energy production, the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and the absorption of calcium.
There aren’t many other health benefits of pickled onions because most people who eat them do not suffer from serious illnesses.
However, according to WebMD, pickled onions can help prevent certain cancers such as colon cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, oral cancer, testicular cancer, lymphoma/leukemia, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, and brain tumors.
What Are The Side Effects Of Pickled Onions?
You should avoid eating too many raw pickled onions because of the high amount of sodium present in this food item.
Pickled onions also contain nitrites so make sure you read the label carefully when buying any type of pickled vegetable.
There isn’t much research done regarding the health benefits of pickled vegetables but there has been some studies completed about the negative aspects of pickling.
One study found that people who consumed more than six ounces of pickled onions per day were at risk for developing bladder cancer.
Another study showed that people who ate large amounts of pickled foods each week were twice as likely to develop stomach ulcers compared to those who didn’t consume pickled vegetables regularly.
As with all processed foods, pickled onions aren’t exactly healthy.
However, they can still provide a lot of flavor without adding too much extra fat or sugar into your diet.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pickled Onions?
When we think about pickles, we usually picture sour food with vinegar and salt.
Pickled onions fall into this category but there are some differences between what makes up a typical pickle and what makes up a good pickled onion.
The biggest difference comes down to how much sugar is added to the mix.
This isn’t necessarily bad news because sweet foods aren’t inherently unhealthy.
However, when pickling onions, you need to make sure you don’t go overboard.
You should also know that adding too many sugars will cause the finished product to turn brown rather quickly.
Onions contain natural sugars called sucrose so you can use just enough to balance out any acidity and prevent the onions from drying out.
Once you start adding more sugar, however, things get a bit tricky.
When making pickled onions, you need to consider two key factors: flavor and texture.
The best way to achieve both of those goals is by using a combination of sugar (and maybe a little honey) along with apple cider vinegar.
For example, one cup of water mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar will create a flavorful mixture without being overly sweet.
On top of that, you can add more sugar to increase the sweetness and even a drop of vanilla extract to give the final product a nice touch of complexity.
You could potentially achieve similar results by mixing together equal parts of sugar and water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
In reality though, the end result won’t taste nearly as delicious since you’ll lose a lot of flavor due to evaporation.
Another thing to note is that not all types of onions work well with pickling.
Most people agree that red onions are the best option although yellow ones will still produce decent results.
In terms of texture, you shouldn’t worry too much about getting the perfect consistency.
Just remember that softer textures tend to stay soft longer while harder textures generally break apart quicker.
So, if you want pickled onions that last longer, you might want to opt for a more firm variety such as Vidalia onions or Maui onions.
If you want to speed up the process, you can always pop the onions in boiling water for 30 seconds to soften them up a bit.
How Do Pickled Onions Compare To Other Pickled Vegetables?
When it comes to pickled vegetables there are several types including dill, capers, olives, peppers, etc.
Pickling onions are similar to dill pickles in terms of how they taste and what they look like.
They both contain vinegar, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and sometimes garlic.
The main difference between the two is that dill pickles usually include celery seed while pickled onions will not.
You could also consider pickled mushrooms as another type of pickle.
There is one big problem with pickled onions though – they tend to get moldy rather quickly so make sure you buy fresh ones whenever possible.
Pros
- They don’t require refrigeration
- You can eat them right away (unlike many pickled foods)
- The flavor profile is milder than most pickled items (if that’s your preference)
- Can be eaten raw without fear of getting sick
Cons
- Moldy onions
- Not all onions are good candidates for pickling
What Are Some Creative Ways To Use Pickled Onions?
You can eat pickled onions by themselves.
You could also mix them with cheese for a spreadable snack.
You can even use them as a garnish when making salads or dipping bread into a dip.
Onions are one of the most versatile foods there are.
Pickle them up with this easy pickled onion recipe!
- Add them to any dish where you would normally use sliced raw onions (egg rolls, burgers, hot dogs).
- Use them as a side dish for chicken wings, fish sticks, or fried rice.
- Mix them with ketchup and serve as a sauce for french fries.
- Dip chips or crackers into homemade ranch dressing for a fun appetizer.
- Serve them alongside roasted meats and cheeses at dinner parties.
- Spread them onto hamburger buns as a savory addition to sandwiches.
- Toss them into chili, stews, and soups.
- Add them to egg salad for extra flavor.
- Make a batch of spicy buffalo cauliflower bites using pickled red onions.
- Cut wedges of pickled onions and top grilled meat skewers.
- Top tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or enchiladas with pickled onions.
- Sprinkle them over popcorn before roasting it.
There are endless uses for pickled white onions so make sure you give them a shot soon!
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- large saucepan
Ingredients
- 30 small pickling onions
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup vinegar white, white wine, apple cider
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Set the oven to 190°C/fan 180°C or 374°F.
- Using a sharp knife and a cutting board, trim and peel the onions.
- Put your jar(s) on a baking sheet and sterilize for 20 minutes in the oven.
- In the meantime, combine the remaining ingredients in a sizable pot and heat them over medium-low.
- Bring it to a boil while sometimes gently stirring. Up until the jars are sterilized, keep warm.
- Replace the seals with caution after the jars are prepared.
- Pour the onions into your jar(s), together with the spices and pickling juice, and close them while they are still hot.
- At room temperature, cool. Pickled onions can be kept unopened for up to a year in a cool, dark location. After opening, store in the refrigerator and finish within 4-6 weeks.
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My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.